I am in the market for a 1916 standing liberty.I am going to attempt a full collection.My son seems to love the coin as much as I do,and I have a little extra money to toss around right now,and thanks to my pack rat dad,I have a nice start. Well ,to my question.As I am fairly new to coins,coming across an auction like this sends up a few red flags. Does this seem legit to you guys? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11966&item=3956359395&rd=1#ebayphotohosting MS63 for 14K. I'v seen much lower grades go for about htis much
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11966&item=3934636406 Check this out...this seller just purchased an XF 1916 quarter on Ebay for $8500. Just a note, before I'd spend umpteen thousand dollars on a coin, I'd sure as heck want to see it. How do you feel about going to New York?
As you stated, there are some red flags on this auction. The Seller's feedback has some tarnish and I get the impression from reading through them that he doesn't represent his coins as honestly as he should. Another red flag is that there isn't any image of the reverse. For the amount this coin could potentially bring, fifteen cents for an extra picture isn't gonna break his bank. I'm also very suspicious of auctions of this magnitude which do not have complete photo documentation. The third red flag is also the biggest and brightest IMNSHO: the PCI slab. PCI overgrades by two or three points in most instances; there's always exceptions, but I don't think this is one of them. I'm not very well versed in Standing Liberty quarters, but I suspect his asking price is too high for the coin's probable grade (by PCGS, ANACS, or NGC) and I think the seller knows it. If it were me, I'd let it pass. Also, for a coin with that number of zeroes in the price tag, I think I'd want to see it before buying, meaning I'd buy it through a reputable dealer.
Whoa! NICE research! You posted while I was writing my post, so I didn't see it in time. I don't believe in coincidences and it doesn't stand to reason that the Seller just happened to buy another 1916 SL quarter a few months before selling one just like it. And, it DOES stand to reason that he would send the first coin off to a low-tiered grading company to see if he could slip it past them. Too bad eBay has already pulled the images from the earlier auction. This isn't provable, but I'd keep far, far away from the current auction.
I would never buy a coin off EBAY without checking with you guys first hehe,but an MS63 1916 for 14K that you guys approved of and have bought from before,I would seriously consider it. So what you're saying is,just because something is graded and in a sealed coin box,does NOT mean it's legit?I guess im nieve,but i assumed once graded and in a box,that was that.
Alarms bells going off all over the place on this one--Whats been posted so far I agree with 100% & some, if thats not enof, how about the bad english? and the bad spelling?--The biggest alarm that goes off is Isn't that like a chinese seller??--buyer beware--BTW, the picture of this so called PCI slabbed coin looks veeeerrry suspicious, definitely been tampered with with some type of photo software, even I an amature at it can see it--show me the slab!! --How can ebay let this sh*t go on?? can u explain this to me??eh?? This person is trying to double her price on 8500--almost double--lets not get to greedy-- --stay away, if its slabbed at least show a legit picture of it, and some slabbed coins are defintely fakes and garbage--stay with the top 2 NGC or PCGS--especially on big dollar items!!
Is this auction site a bit more legit than EBAY? http://www.heritagecoins.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=366&Lot_No=6664
These are exquisite words of wisdom: Buy the coin, not the slab Before spending a ton of money on any coin, whether slabbed by a top tier or bottom tier grading company or raw, I'd want to see it. The only thing a slab proves is that someone thinks the coin grades what is on the label. Since coin grading is arbitrary, as the grade is in the eye of the beholder, you will want to make sure that you like it, especially if you're going to spend thousands of bucks. This coin looks better than an XF, maybe even MS63, but the photo isn't good enough to see hairlines or other problems. Also, I don't agree that the head is 90%. 70%, I'd say. Also seems to show much flatness in the shield. Could be wear, or a weak strike, but you can't tell from the photo.
This is a great looking coin! Strong strike, great picture, NGC is a well recognized grading company with much better liquidity than PCI, Heritage is a fairly reputable company, but I'd still want to see the coin in person before spending a lot.
Wrong question Snail. EBay hosts auctions for good guys, bad guys, and in-between guys, but doesn't sell anything but its services. Heritage is a reputable auctioneer and dealer in coins, which conducts auctions of high end material at, among other places, major coin shows. The two can't be directly compared. In fact Heritage puts some of its auctions on EBay Live, where online bidders can compete (on a very uneven playing field) with on-site bidders.
